Trigger Warning: The latter half of this chapter gets a little…intense.

Chapter 7

Feedback Loop

Annoying bosses are a fact of life. Some bosses are power hungry and petty, others try too hard to make the company feel like a family, and some…

"I wuv your new axe, honey!"

"No, I wuv your new axe, pookie pie!"

…didn't understand the acronyms TMI and PDA.

Amber watched as her new supervisors, a dog couple named Dogamy and Dogaressa, nuzzled noses and spoke sweet insipid nothings to each other. Their black hooded jumpers and large axes might've been intimidating…if their outfits didn't have pictures of each other on the front surrounded by hearts.

Man, they let anybody into this Royal Guard thing, don't they? Amber thought with disgust.

"Why don't you explain the protocol, honey?" Dogaressa suggested.

"Oh, but I wuv it when you explain the protocol, sweetie chops!" Dogamy gushed.

OMG, is it too late to turn myself in? Amber thought as she rubbed her head.

"The protocol is simple," Dogaressa told Amber, now sounding all business, "Your job is to watch for any suspicious human activity near the river. This is a residential area, so while a human sighting is unlikely, that makes your vigilance even more important. Along with your protocol guide book, I have also written down the smell code for any strange, non-residential smells. Any questions?"

"Um…why does my sentry station look so…jank?" Amber asked awkwardly.

Sure enough, the old sentry post Amber was taking over was so dilapidated that it was close to collapse.

"Well, no one's been posted here for a few years, so…it didn't seem that important to repair it," Dogamy grimaced, "We, uh, think it'll still hold though. I mean, you're a ghost, so you shouldn't add any weight to the chair or anything."

"I'm semi-corporeal," Amber explained, "So, yeah, this is probably going to come back to bite me."

"Then just bite it back! That's what I do," Dogaressa declared proudly, "You'll be fine!"

Amber didn't want to argue, especially with two such scary looking dog monsters, so she just slowly walked to her post and tried to not think about how unstable the structure looked. That can-do attitude lasted for all of two seconds however, as the chair immediately broke under her weight, followed by the roof caving in on top of her and the desk breaking down around her.

"Ooooww!" Amber moaned, "What the heck, man!?"

Dogamy and Dogaressa just looked at each other guiltily as their new hire struggled to stand up and escape the rubble of her "station".

"Uh…we'll call a contractor to fix this thing," Dogaressa offered, "You just, uh, keep watch from…that bench over there!"

Sighing, unwilling to argue, Amber listlessly walked over to a nearby park bench and sat down. Well, Sans did say sentries could just sit on their butt all day. He just didn't mention how hazardous the non-human-capturing aspects of the job could be. Oh well, it was a paycheck, and at this point she really needed one. She didn't feel like sleeping under a waterfall forever.

She had already lived in this strange new reality for three days, and now most of her fear was replaced with a crick in her neck from using an old tutu as a pillow. This game…world…whatever it was, was a weird place. The monsters weren't as scary as they could've been, yet there was still a sense of danger lurking around every corner. Of all the game worlds that could've been real, why couldn't it be something fun like Pokemon or whatever that game with the car chases was? An underground abyss wasn't exactly Amber's idea of a fun vacation home.

Not to mention it was so cold! If this was all just a bunch of game code, then why did the cold feel so real? At least there wasn't much wind to speak of, but the crunchy snow more than made up for it. Everything felt so dark, even though the monsters had electricity. Looking up every now and then and seeing nothing but the underside of a mountain was strangely ominous. It felt like stalactites could rain down on them at any moment.

For hours Amber sat there on the bench, watching basically nothing happen; kept company only by her own thoughts. This was so boring, and yet somehow familiar. Conserving energy, trying not to feel hungry, thinking too much…felt just like home. It wasn't exactly a good feeling, but there was a perverse sense of comfort in being in her element.

Finally, after a long day made longer by the lack of activity, Amber's shift was over and she could go home. Careful to keep her sheet in place, Amber stood up and felt the stiffness in her frozen leg joints. Everything hurt, and Amber berated herself for not getting up and moving sooner.

She didn't know where she wanted to go next. It wasn't like she lived behind that waterfall. If she wanted to look for a better place to stay then she could. Still, the waterfall was warmer than Snowdin. What to do, what to do…

Amber climbed a long flight of wooden stairs that led up the hill to the "commercial" district of Snowdin, which consisted of one shop, a hotel, and Grillby's. This town wasn't very big, but it was the only place Amber had seen that was inhabited. For all she knew this was the biggest map in the game, or maybe she was an idiot and there was a much better city just past Waterfall.

As Amber crossed the rocks-turned-bridge absentmindedly, looking at the town in the distance, she didn't notice how slick some of the stone slats were.

Before she knew what hit her, she was stumbling on the bridge and trying to hang on for dear life! She couldn't get a good grip however because of the sheet blocking her hands, and she stumbled over the edge of the bridge and fell nearly 200 feet below her! she felt the impact of the rocks and snow below her, her bones crushed and her body battered. She blacked out…

…She was back in Waterfall, near the crossing to her sleeping spot.

Amber looked at her body in disbelief. Sure, she had experienced this once, but it still felt strange to die and then be saved from that death with no injury to show for it. She examined her body, and she was fine. Then she looked at the date on her cellphone, and it said…

"This was yesterday," Amber muttered worriedly, "Crud. My last save point was over a day ago! That means tomorrow I have to redo that interview with the lovey-dovey doggies, and then sit there all day doing nothing again! Wait, what did I do today that I should probably do again? Oh yeah, I walked to Snowed Inn and dug in the dumpster for food. I didn't find anything. Hey, that means I don't have to go there now. I can check a new place for food and not waste any time. Hm, maybe time travel isn't so bad after all…"

Sans looked down at his notebook, and could feel the sweat dripping from his shaking bones. This wasn't supposed to happen…not again.

He couldn't deny it though. Plain as the nose hole on his face, there it was. A new time discrepancy.

His notes for the past few days were surprisingly normal. He wrote about helping Papyrus with puzzles, helping the ghost get a job in exchange for talking to the flower, performing a set at the MTT Resort. Normal things. Nothing unusual happened. Nobody died. No dreams came true. Life just continued on as if the anomaly never existed.

He was so sure they were finally free, that the anomaly either died or decided to leave them alone. He should've known though. If the flower was still around, and was also most likely the anomaly, then of course this would happen again. The anomaly was probably just waiting for them to let their guard down before it struck them with a vengeance.

This time the discrepancy was small, just a single day, but Sans had written an entry for today that he didn't remember. That told him the time jump happened. The Anomaly went back exactly one day. What happened today that made it want to rewind time? Was it the ghost? Was the flower angry that a new element tried to interfere with its plans? Was the flower even responsible for this?

Sans sat in his basement, next to his broken time machine and the broken promises that came with it, and thought. The feedback loop on his communication device had been pretty strong. It was too strong to maintain, but he wondered if it actually did something. Did it stall the powers of the anomaly, or did it merely make it mad? The abominable power of this being, untempered by morality or connection, frightened Sans like nothing else ever had.

He didn't want to try again. He didn't want to inadvertently destroy everything by meddling with forces he didn't understand. Despite these fears however, a bigger fear tugged at his soul. If he did nothing, then the anomaly might just kill them all anyway. Not just monsters, not just humans, but the entire universe. Every time jump brought them closer to the absolute, the end of all things.

Hand shaking, Sans picked up the communication device. He might fail, he might die, he might even doom them all, but he had to try. He had to talk to this thing, whatever it was, and hope he could offer it something to stop this madness.

IRL

Three days. Three days since Amber went missing. James tried to tell his parents about the weird Undertale game playing itself on his computer, but they thought he was changing the subject. He tried to tell them he thought Amber's abductor sent them the game to torment the family, but they just dismissed it as his overactive imagination. Yeah right. They probably just didn't know what to do about it and didn't want to deal with it themselves. Typical.

James even tried calling the cops about her disappearance, but since she was an adult that didn't live in their home, they didn't take his claims very seriously. James couldn't believe how useless everyone was!

He didn't know of any other leads, so he went back to his computer, back to that creepy Undertale screen. It was his only lead, and maybe if he could trace who sent it, then he would know where to tell the police to go to look for his sister. He just needed something, anything, to give them so they would get off their donut holes and do their job.

Unfortunately, tracing the game wasn't possible, for the simple reason that James no longer had control of his computer. He couldn't work any keys, he couldn't work the mouse, and he couldn't even shut off his monitor. Unplugging the computer might've worked, but that wasn't what he wanted.

James growled in impotent frustration as he glared at the screen, at a picture of the ghost sprite laying down in the secret tutu room in Waterfall.

"Why?" James whispered into the air, "Why her? I know Amber and I fought and stuff, but she was…it isn't fair."

James then began to cry softly to himself. He didn't want his parents to hear him, but he couldn't hold it back anymore. Amber wasn't the easiest person to get along with, but she was the only family member that was truly there for him when he needed her. It was cliché to say she was like a mom to him, and that really wasn't it. For one thing that gave too much credit to his mom. Amber did more for him than his parents did, at least when he was young and helpless.

Who would be cruel enough to take her away like that? When did they have the chance? Did someone climb into their second story window? Did Amber get snatched while she was outside getting the mail or something? Was she tied up in some creepy dungeon somewhere, or already dead in a shallow grave?

James's mind tormented him with these morbid thoughts, but then, a sound brought him back to reality. It was the sound of Sans's text box, overlaid atop the Undertale screen.

[hey, it's me again, your bone-afide confidant. whatever i said to offend you last time, i'm sorry. come on, talk to me. say anything. insult me, hate me, call me big-boned. i don't care. just say something already.]

James broke out into a cold sweat when he saw the message. Sans wasn't even on screen, yet there was his text box. This must be the guy, Amber's kidnapper. This was the person torturing them with this inescapable game screen, and maybe the only one that could give James his sister back. He had to figure out how to say something, and fast!

[wanna hear a joke? i, uh, have a lot of material, in case somebody's listening. what's another name for a watch? a time machine. Heh heh heh heh…]

James tried using his mouse to click repeatedly, trying to figure out any way to open a messenger app or something. Strangely, when he managed to move his mouse cursor to the text box, a new text box appeared above it, ready for him to type. Yes! This was it! A chance to find out more from the kidnapper…and potential killer. James shook that dark thought away and got to work.

[Yes! Hello? Can you see this?]

Snowdin

[Yes! Hello? Can you see this?]

Sans gasped, shocked despite knowing this was what he was trying to achieve. The anomaly…it spoke! He could hear it…sort of. The voice was distorted, like it was coming from everywhere at once, but he could hear it. The anomaly made contact! Sans had an in!

He just had to figure out what he could say to this being to appease it. There was no way he could threaten it from here, much as he wished he could, so he would have to try to be diplomatic about what he said. Whatever it wanted, Sans had to do his best to oblige it, no matter how strange or ghoulish the request.

[yes, this is sans. sans the skeleton.]

[No you're not.]

Huh? That was a weird response. The anomaly didn't believe him? Well, that ruled out the entity being all-powerful. If it was omnipotent, then it would know exactly who it was talking to.

[uh, yeah, i am. i don't know everything, but i think i know my own name.]

IRL

James felt a wide range of emotions in this moment, but the forefront among them was irritation. Not only was Amber's kidnapper a deranged psychopath, but apparently he was also a stupid roleplayer! James vaguely wondered if this was like that one killer that thought he was The Joker or something. James realized he could be dealing with a very twisted individual.

[Okay, Sans, I'll play along. What have you done with her?]

[her?]

Snowdin

Of all the things Sans expected the anomaly to ask, this wasn't one of them. Her? The anomaly was after a monster? It also sounded…concerned? He wasn't sure if he interpreted that emotion correctly, but it almost sounded like worry. He didn't know what to expect next, so he took a swig of spider cider and tried to calm his joints. He just had to keep the anomaly talking…

[Yeah, you maniac! My sister! What have you done with her?]

The anomaly was getting louder, and while the speech had little inflection Sans was sure it was angry. If only this thing had a face. Sans was very adept at reading facial expressions. Trying to understand a voice in a void however, that was a bit trickier.

[i don't know anything about your sister, but i'll do anything i can for you, ok? just please, leave this world. leave us in peace. let us go.]

[I know you have her. Why else would you leave this stupid thing on? You think you're real funny, don't you? Well, fine, LOL, you're funny. Just bring her back!]

"LOL?" Sans asked to himself, "Did this thing just use undernet speak out loud? Is that how anomalies laugh? Wow, truth is stranger than fiction."

[i'll get the one you want. just tell me the target and what you want me to do with her. please, i'm tired. i can't kill you, i can't befriend you, i can't stop you. just tell me what it will take to make you go away.]

[Go away? What do you mean go away? Do you want me dead?]

[preferably, but i'll take whatever i can get from you.]

[So…it's a one-to-one exchange? You have my sister, but you'll only let her go if I…if I…KMS?]

Sans had to think for a minute what KMS stood for. He wasn't used to undernet abbreviations being spoken aloud. This was one time he wished he was collaborating with Alphys on this project. She practically lived online.

Wait. Was…was the anomaly offering to kill itself if Sans could find the right person and set them free? Set them free from what? From him? Sans didn't have anyone held captive. Maybe some other monster had taken the anomaly's sister. Well, any monster that would unleash such an abomination unto the world surely was a monster with a very worthless soul indeed.

[i'll give you your sister back. whatever it takes, i'll do it. how do i know though? how do i know you'll keep your end of the bargain? how do I know you'll die?]

It took an agonizingly long moment for the anomaly to reply. For some reason it never responded immediately. Perhaps the communicator had a poor frequency, or perhaps the anomaly's true universe was so far beyond theirs that it took time to reach its destination. Either way, Sans was nervous. If he offended this thing by suggesting it should die, then he might've just unleashed the most devastating-

[I'll film it.]

Well, that wasn't where Sans thought the anomaly was going with this. That solution seemed so obvious, and yet somewhat mundane for a being with the power to manipulate time and space. It also didn't seem like enough, given that, you know, it could manipulate time and space.

[I'll livestream it. Whatever. Just…just don't hurt her, please. Bring her home safely, and once she's back…I'll do it. If you have a particular method you want me to use, I mean…I don't have a gun, but maybe something else would work? You're the one who wants this. I'll let you decide how it happens. I'll give you whatever kind of show you want. Just please…please don't hurt her.]

"Sheesh, this thing sounds like Mettaton," Sans chuckled despite himself, "So dramatic. You'd think a being that has died hundreds of times wouldn't think of it as such a big deal at this point."

Unfortunately for Sans, his words were picked up by the communicator and the anomaly heard him. It didn't sound happy…

[This isn't a game, you psycho freak! You can't just play with a person's life like that! She hasn't done anything to you! Do you want me to die for real? Is that the price for my sister's life? Just tell me yes or no!]

This twisted creature had some nerve talking about playing with people's lives. That was all the anomaly had done since inserting itself into the timeline. Playing with monsters as if they were toys, deciding who lives and who dies based on its own arbitrary desires, and then erasing everything just so it could do it all again. Sans hated this anomaly with every marrow in his bones and every ounce of his soul. He wanted this thing to burn.

[what kills you permanently? tell me that, and then we'll talk.]

[You…you want to discuss how I'm going to do it? First tell me, is she still alive? Can you call me? Can I hear her voice? Please?]

[i am calling you. what do you think this is, a smoke signal?]

[N…Ugh, never mind! I need proof she's alive. Tell me something only she would know. If you have her, then she'll tell you.]

Uh oh…

Sans was nervous now. He didn't actually have the anomaly's sister, or even know where such a creature could be. He needed to make something up, but he didn't know if doing so would backfire on him and make the entity stop talking. Wait, has he had this conversation already? Was this a time skip he didn't know about? Did he know about the anomaly's sister in another timeline? No, he couldn't, not yet. The anomaly wouldn't talk to him if he already gave it the answer it wanted, so this must be the first time.

[she's not here right now.]

Being honest might also backfire on Sans, but he couldn't afford to lie to a being that already had so much information on everyone and everything in the underground. He had to play it cool.

[she's alive, but she's not with me right now.]

[Where did you take her?]

[chill your spine, dude. all in good time. first things first. the agreement. how do i enforce an agreement with you when you have so much more info than me?]

[I don't know anything. I'll never turn you in. Just tell me where to meet you to get her back. If you want, you can just kill me when I get there. I won't bring backup. I won't resist. Please…her life is worth more than mine. She's the only one who managed to crawl out of the quagmire that is our family. Please, just take me instead. I'm begging you. Just let her go, please.]

Sans didn't trust anything about this statement. The anomaly was obviously lying about not knowing anything. That was the first red flag. The second red flag was about having a family. If there were entire families of beings that could manipulate the time/space continuum, then it would shred the very fabric of reality. The idea that more than one of these things could exist at a time was preposterous.

Then again, maybe the family members didn't have such an ability. Maybe the anomaly wasn't some cosmic entity, but rather a once ordinary monster that tampered with something they shouldn't have and accidentally gave themselves incredible power. Somehow that idea scared Sans more than his original hypothesis. If this was just another monster that had lived in a time loop over and over again, then they weren't unknowable. They were simply insane.

"Tell you what…"

Sans was about to ask the anomaly for a physical description of their sister. If he knew what to look for, he could easily find it. Problem was, this being was under the impression Sans already had the sister in his possession. If he revealed that he was bluffing, then the anomaly might unleash a vengeance unlike anything Sans had ever seen. It wouldn't even be difficult. Just kill Papyrus and the woman in the ruins, and never reset the timeline again. Trap Sans in his own worst nightmare, forever and ever, no second chances.

IRL

[tell you what…]

James just stared at that message, waiting for the rest to pop up on screen. This was the most terrified he ever felt in his life. His sister was not only being held by some twisted freak, but whoever this person was, they hated James personally. They wanted him dead, and they wanted it pretty badly.

He didn't really want to die. James was just 17. He had his whole life ahead of him, or at least that's what his school counselor said. He had done so little with his time on earth, and now he was facing his own death.

Why didn't he offer money? Why didn't he offer something else? Maybe drugs, or to rob a bank for the abductor, or just…something else! It was pretty clear from the start though, what the killer wanted was to watch James die, maybe even to kill James himself.

How could he say no? How could he leave his sister to die? Amber was all he had, and he knew deep down in his heart, she was worth more than him. In fact, if the roles were reversed, he didn't doubt for a moment that she would've died for him. She might've been annoying, and always stressed out, but she loved him. She would never leave him to rot in the hands of a crazed serial killer.

[ok, you win. i'll call you back when everything is ready. you have to tell me how to kill you though, or else. i know i can't get to you, but i can get to her. her life is in your hands now. later.]

With that the text boxes disappeared, and James's computer went back to the polka-dotted ghost in Waterfall, laying in its usual spot.

James began to cry, realizing what he had to do now. He didn't trust anyone else with the information he had about the kidnapper. His parents might try to save him over her, the police would just make them wait for an eternity until she died, and he didn't have any friends to talk to about this.

No, he knew what he had to do, and he hated it. The kidnapper specifically said "you have to tell me how to kill you". So, James had to come up with a plan for his own murder. The killer wanted to psychologically torture him by making him think about it first. All James could hope for was that his sacrifice wouldn't be in vain. He had to hope that the killer would at least keep their word and spare Amber.

One thing James couldn't stop wondering though, narcissistic as it felt, was why him? Why did the killer want to kill him more than Amber? Did he do something to someone at school? Did he curse out the wrong kid in voice chat on one of his online games? Did the killer even know him at all? Maybe they had already killed Amber and were going to lead James into a trap.

Whatever the answer, James couldn't give up hope. Maybe if he could figure out who was after him, then he might be able to surprise the kidnapper and save Amber. Or, at the very least, tell the police something that would make them care about this case. For now though, all he could do was wait.